Voting in the 2020 MNO election is now closed

Election results are available here

Have questions about MNO Election 2020? Check out Frequently Asked Questions

UPDATES:

September 24, 2020

MNO Chief Electoral Officer Paul Devillers is please to share information about four different elections coming up at the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO):​

  1. The election of members of the Métis Nation of Ontario’s Women’s Council, by all MNO Women citizens;
  2. The election of the four PCMNO Senators, and from those four the election of the Executive Senator of the PCMNO, by MNO Senators registered for MNO’s AGA;
  3. The filling of five vacancies on the Métis Nation of Ontario Veterans Council, by Métis veterans who are registered for the MNO AGA; and
  4. The filling of six vacancies on the Métis Nation of Ontario Youth Council, by Métis youth who are registered for the MNO AGA ​

More information here

July 8

Inviting Citizen feedback on MNO 2020 electoral process: Following the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) general elections, the Chief Electoral Officer reviews the election and provides a report to the Provisional Council of the Métis Nation of Ontario (PCMNO). In this report, the Chief Electoral Officer may make recommendations for changes to the MNO Electoral Code: Part A in order to make improvements to the code that address issues that may have come in the operation of the recent election. More here

June 12

Elections to Fill Vacancies Subsequent to MNO Election 2020: Pursuant to Article 10.1 of the MNO Electoral Code, Elections to fill these vacancies will be held at the next Annual General Assembly, following the rules set out in this and other sections of the Code. More here

June 8 (UPDATED)

Incorrect Date on Certification Document – Inadvertently Dated May 1, 2020: This letter if to confirm that the previous Conclusion of Vote declaration signature date was incorrect and inadvertently dated for May 1, 2020. A corrected document has been prepared and executed with today’s date for your records. The results of the 2020 MNO Election are available here.

June 1

2020 Métis Nation of Ontario Declaration of Election: the results of the 2020 MNO Election are available here.

May 27

Please note that as per Article 35 of the Election Code, the Chief Electoral Officer shall publically announce the results of MNO Election 2020 and declare elected the Candidates who received the largest number of votes. The intention is to post this announcement at www.metisnation.org/election as soon as the results of the counts of all valid Ballots are confirmed the evening of June 1, 2020.

May 20

List of Acclamations in the MNO 2020 Elections is now available here.

May 13

Information on candidates in the MNO 2020 Election is now available here.

May 4

Candidates in the Métis Nation of Ontario Election 2020 announced. More here

May 4

Métis Nation of Ontario Election 2020 Questions and Answers. More here

April 29

On April 24, 2020 a voter list containing contact information for Métis citizens within the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) Region 7 was mistakenly sent to an official of another Métis government by a MNO staff member. As directed by the MNO’s Chief Electoral Officer, this document was intended to be emailed to one of the candidates running for office in that Region as per the requirements of the MNO Electoral Code. *Please note this information did not include the date of birth of any MNO citizens. More information here

April 24 — MNO election security measures and protocols

Attached please see a letter from Mr. Lawrence Lewis the Founder of OneFeather, the third party independent contractor hosting MNO’s election, describing the security measures and protocols used by his firm to ensure the voting events undertaken by them are as secure as possible. These are procedures that are adopted by entities and organizations around the world to protect the integrity of voting events. If you have any technical questions please contact Mr. Lewis or his staff and they will be please to provide you with further clarification. — Paul DeVillers, CEO

April 12 — Voting information is being sent to eligible voters, by mail or email

As of this week, by mail or by email, voters will be receiving information about voting in the MNO Election.

All eligible voters – whether or not they receive a communication – can visit the website https://onefeather.ca/nations/mno to activate their profile, verify their eligibility, receive additional voting instructions and their unique PIN to vote electronically or by phone. For assistance, please use the red “Help” button located near the bottom of the https://onefeather.ca/nations/mno webpage or call OneFeather at this toll free number 1-855-458-5888.

Voters have the choice to vote online or by telephone. Both voting options will be will be available from May 5th (12:01AM Eastern Time) to June 1, 2020 (6:00PM Eastern Time).

The emailed version of the letter is being sent from OneFeather, an independent, Indigenous-owned election services provider contracted by the Chief Electoral Officer to execute the online and telephone voting. The FROM field of the email will say: OneFeather – MNO Election 2020 <lewis.l@telus.net>. If you deleted this email, you can visit the website https://onefeather.ca/nations/mno.

PLEASE NOTE: We have determined that, due to an accidental filtering error, some citizens aged 15 an under were inadvertently sent the above letter. Please rest assured that only those Citizens 16 years of age and eligible to vote will be permitted to do so. We apologise for any confusion or inconvenience. .

April 6 — Cancellation of in-person voting at polls May 23 and June 1

Further to my Memorandum of March 18, 2020 postponing election day to June 1, 2020, this memorandum is to give notice of cancellation of the in-person voting at polls on May 23 and on June 1. The other two methods of voting i.e. online voting and telephone voting will become the only methods for electors to vote. The opportunity to vote by these methods is available to all electors. The period during which voting will be accessible will be from 12:01 AM EST, May 5 to 6:00 PM EST time on June 1.

April 1 — Distribution of List of Electors to Candidates

As of April 23, any nominee whose candidacy is confirmed by the Chief Electoral Officer will be eligible to request the electors list (appropriate to their race). This will provide the same amount of time to campaign as would have been available prior to the Election postponement (i.e. the same amount of time as was available in the original timeline between the announcement of candidates and the advanced poll).

March 18 — Memo from MNO Chief Electoral Officer regarding Postponement of MNO Election 2020 due to COVID-19

For efficiency, all Candidates packages can be sent to:

Chief Electoral Officer
55 Cargrove Pvt.
Ottawa, ON
K1K 4Y7

MNO 2020 Election Notice

All MNO citizens eligible to vote will be provided with the option to vote electronically or by telephone. In some communities, there will also be the option to vote in person at polling stations with at least one polling station in every region. Voting information will be distributed by email or mail. All MNO electors should ensure that the MNO Registry has their current contact information. The Registry can be reached at 1-855-798-1006. For additional clarity, citizens who have received a letter from the MNO Registry indicating that their citizenship file is currently incomplete, following the review that has been conducted of all citizenship files, but who meet the eligibility requirements of the MNO Electoral Code, are eligible to vote in the 2020 Election.

***UPDATED: Date of Election: June 1, 2020

Hours of Polling:

  • 9:00AM – 8:00PM CST (Region 1)
  • 9:00AM – 8:00PM EST (Regions 2 – 9)

***UPDATED:
Date of Advanced Poll:
May 23, 2020
3:00 PM – 7:00 PM (in each relevant time zone)

***EXTENDED: Electronic and Telephone Voting:
Open May 5 – May 29, 2020

Polling Stations: Locations to be posted by May 1, 2020

POSITIONS FOR ELECTION:

PCMNO Executive Positions:

  • President
  • Chair
  • Vice Chair
  • Secretary-Treasurer

Candidates require a minimum of seven signatures of electors in seven of the nine regions. There is a $200.00 non-refundable deposit. Certified cheque or money order only. Cheques should be made out The Métis Nation of Ontario.

Other PCMNO Positions:

  • 9 Regional Councillors

Candidates require a minimum of 21 signatures of electors from within their respective region. There is a $200.00 non-refundable deposit. Certified cheque or money order only. Cheques should be made out The Métis Nation of Ontario.

  • 1 Post-Secondary Representative (PCMNO)

Candidates require a minimum of four signatures of electors from each of the nine regions. Any registered voter can nominate a Post-Secondary Representative. The application must include a statement that the candidate intends to be a student at a post-secondary institution in Ontario for at least 2/3 of the term of office.

  • 1 Youth Representative (PCMNO)

Candidates must be between the ages of 16 and 25 years on date of election.
Candidates require a minimum of four signatures of electors who are over the age of 16 but under 30 years of age as of the date of the election, from seven of the nine regions. The application must include a statement that on the date of the election the candidate on the will be between the ages of 16 and 25 years of age.

Métis Nation of Ontario Youth Council (MNOYC):

  • 9 Regional Youth Representatives
  • 1 MNOYC Chair Person

Candidates must be between the ages of 16 and 25 years on date of election.
Candidates require a minimum of four signatures of electors who are over the age of 16 but under 30 years of age as of the date of the election. Signatures must be from electors who reside in the region from which the candidate is nominated. The application must include a statement that the candidate on the date of election will be between the ages of 16 and 25 years of age.

Métis Nation of Ontario Veterans Council (MNOVC):

  • President
  • Chair
  • Senator for Veterans
  • Secretary
  • Treasurer
  • Women’s Representative
  • Sergeant-at-Arms

Candidates require a minimum of four signatures of electors who are veterans and a signed Veteran’s Affirmation. Which is a statement that the candidate is a veteran.

Election Information:

Nominations: Nominations will be accepted by the Chief Electoral Officer up to the nominations closing date of May 1, 2020, by 5pm, either in person, by mail, email, or facsimile. Deposits, where required, must be received by end of closing date. If nomination forms are submitted by facsimile or email, the original forms must be received by mail or in person before the posting of candidates May 4, 2020. Nominees are encouraged to submit their nomination packages early, providing the Chief Electoral Officer to review and notify nominees of any omissions or errors.

Requirements for Nominations: All candidates must submit a written acceptance of the Nomination and a statement that the candidate has read the MNO Electoral Code and MNO Bylaws and is eligible to be nominated as a candidate in the MNO election (see Article 6 of the MNO Electoral Code). (See “Candidate Affirmation Form” below).

Nomination Forms: The Chief Electoral Officer has ruled that scans of nominee signatures will be accepted on nomination forms. This means that scanned copies are acceptable of signatures of those who are nominating the candidate (“Nominated by”). Nominations will only be accepted as part of a package submitted from Nominees themselves. Candidates should compile the packages of signatures to be submitted to the Chief Electoral Officer at the address below.

Note that an original non-scanned signature of the nominee (i.e. the candidate) accepting the nomination is required by May 4. Nomination forms are available below or by email from the Chief Electoral Officer. Note that the Chief Electoral Officer has ruled that nominators may sign pages other than the Nomination Form, so long as these pages contain all of the same information as the Nomination forms.

Any citizen 16 or over can nominate candidates, including MNO staff.

  • Candidate Affirmation Form
  • Nomination Form PCMNO Councillors
  • Nomination Form PCMNO Executive
  • Nomination Form PCMNO Postsecondary Representative
  • Nomination Form PCMNO Youth Representative
  • Nomination Form MNO Veterans Council
  • Nomination Form MNO Youth Council


Posting of Candidates: May 4, 2020. Upon completing a review of all filed nominations to ensure they meet the necessary requirements, the MNO Chief Electoral Officer will issue an official candidates’ listing. The listing will be posted on the MNO website.

Preliminary Electors’ Lists: February 10, 2020 – sent to Community Council Presidents for immediate posting in Council Offices.

Final Electors’ Lists: March 10, 2020 – posted in Council Offices.

MNO Electoral Code: The procedures and rules governing these elections are contained in the Métis Nation of Ontario Electoral Code: Part A, and is available here: MNO Electoral Code Part A

Electronic/Telephone Voting Information: Personalized voting information will be distributed to electors by email or Canada Post by May 4, 2020. More information about electronic and telephone voting will be posted on the voting site at www.onefeather.ca/MNO (the link will become active once the Election commences). Electors can also visit this site if they have questions or to get support surrounding electronic or telephone voting.

Contact:

Paul DeVillers, Chief Electoral Officer
c/o Metis Nation of Ontario
Unit 1100 – 66 Slater Street
Ottawa, ON, K1P 5H1
Phone: 613-798-1488 or 1-800-263-4889 Ext. 344
Fax: 613-722-4225
Email: election@metisnation.org

To update your contact information please complete and sign a Change of Address Form and send it to:

MNO Registry
Métis Nation of Ontario
Suite 1100 – 66 Slater Street
Ottawa, ON, K1P 5H1

Phone: 1-855-798-1006
Email: info@mnoregistry.ca

Other Election Documents:


Updated: September 11, 2020